II. Reading and Comprehension

Read the text without a dictionary (time limit is 10 minutes). Do the test.

Australia

Australia is located in the south-east of Asia, between the Pacific and Indian oceans. It`s the world`s smallest continent which is almost completely surrounded by water. Its total area is 7,682,300 square km. The Commonwealth of Australia is the state, which consists of the mainland of the continent, the island of Tasmania and a number of smaller islands. It is bounded by Indonesia, Papua New Guinea in the north and New Zealand in the south-east.

Australia is the flattest and the driest inhabited continent in the world with the oldest and least fertile soils. Although Australia has a wide diversity of climatic conditions, it`s climate is generally warm and dry, with no extreme cold and little frost. It changes from comfortably mild in the south to hot in the central part and in the north. The climate is greatly influenced by ocean currents. Because of the continent`s great age and long-term isolation Australia is characterized by the unique flora and fauna.

The total population is about 21 mln people. Most Australians are of British or Irish ancestry. Australian Aborigines make up only 1,6 percent of the population. English is spoken by more than 99% of the population.

The capital of Australia is Canberra. The largest city is Sydney. Australia has a federal parliamentary government. The Australian federation was formed on January 1, 1901, from six former British colonies, which later became six states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. The official head of the state is the Queen. She is represented by the Governor-General at federal level and by the Governors at state level. Executive powers of the Governor-General are exercised on the advise of the Prime Minister. At present, the Prime Minister of Australia is Kevin Rudd, the leader of the Labour party. The Australian constitution combines the traditions of British parliamentary monarchy with important elements of the US federal system.

Australia has a prosperous western-style mixed economy. It is highly developed industrial and agricultural country. The main branches of industry are power industry, metal industry, including production of steel and non-ferrous metals and machine-building. Australia is the world`s largest wool producer and one of the world`s largest wheat exporters.

Notes:

Governor-General – генерал-губернатор;

diversity – різноманіття;

Commonwealth – співдружність;

Wheat – пшениця.

Exercise 6 Find the right ending of the sentences.

1. Australia is located between the Pacific and Indian oceans…

a). in the west of Asia;

b). in the south-east of Asia:

c). in the south-east of Africa.

2. In the north Australia is bounded by…

a). Indonesia and Papua New Guinea;

b). New Zealand;

c). China

3. The climate is greatly influenced by…

a). northern winds;

b). cyclones;

c). ocean currents.

4. The Australian federation was formed on

a). January 2, 1900;

b). February 18, 1800;

c). January 1, 1901.

5. The official head of the state is…

a). the Governor-General;

b). the Queen;

c). the Prime Minister.

Exercise 7. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1. The Commonwealth of Australia consists of the mainland of the continent Australia, the island of Tasmania and of smaller islands.

2. Australia is the flattest and the driest inhabited continent in the world.

3. Most Australians are of Italian or French ancestry.

Exercise 8. Find the right answer to the following questions:

1). What was the Australian federation formed from?

a) З п’яти колишніх британських колоній.

b) З шести колишніх голандських колоній.

с) З шести колишніх британських колоній.

2). What is the largest city of Australia?

a) Канберра.

b) Сідней.

с) Мельбурн.

3). What type of economy does Australia have?

a) змішана економіка західного типу.

b) планова економіка.

с) перехідна економіка.

Exercise 9* Answer the questions in your native language.

1. Why is Australia characterized by the unique flora and fauna?

2. What is Australian political system?

3. What are the main branches of Australian industry?